Too late
by Aromero1tolkien
Summary: What would it be like to wake up to find your town overrun by the undead. Set in San Antonio TX, Not For Children. Strong Language, graphic violence and gore. Please Read & Review, all criticism welcome. enjoy
1. It begins

The events leading up to

5:15 AM

An alarm continues to ring at Southwest Biomedical Research. But there are no running footsteps no scrambling guards just a slow shuffle. The complex is completely still, endless white halls with bright florescent lights and heavy metal doors. But these lights aren't bright anymore, there is something on them casting a sickening brown red glow over the empty hallways.

5:30 AM

A day guard arrives a little early, he's puzzled normally the night shift has already left but the parking lot is full. As he walks over to the guard station he slips on something the exterior lights aren't on so he can't quite make out what it is.

" probably Alex the old drunk, wouldn't be the first time he puked all over the sidewalk" he laughs to himself thinking about how much trouble he can get Al into, maybe finally get Al's manager position.

As he continues to day dream walking over to the Main Security Console, he doesn't even notice the that one of the doors in the hallway is slightly open. Several of the main halls are dark, he mutters " you know this is really starting to piss me off" as he switches on the lights one by one.

The first three side halls are empty, but the main hall isn't. He recoils in terror, feeling vomit rising in his throat he drops to his knees, "Oh my god" he whispers. The main hall is flickering on the screen, seven mutilated bodies lay in awkward contortions intestines and vital organs strewn across the floor, their faces staring out in twisted shapes of fear and pain. The lights in the hall way behind him switches on but a shadow lingers over him. All he can do is scream as Alex sinks his teeth into the day guards neck, as the life drains from him he sees that he left the door to the parking lot open.


	2. If we only knew

7:30 AM

"Man this sucks, my head is killing me." I walk over to the sink and wash out the coffee pot. It's a small kitchen, in a small trailer, and being next to a main street sucks. HONK!!!! " Oh shut up, it's to early in the morning for this shit." Outside the sun is rising over the tree tops causing a blindingly bright light to stream through the open blinds. The coffee smells good, my head is still throbbing, but at least the noise is starting to die down. I start going through the piles of old drawings and half finish scripts and think " You know I really need to sit down and finish these things." I hear rustling in the back room, sounds like someone is getting out of bed.

" Hey babe" just saying those words makes my head feel a little better. I crawl into bed with her a give her a quick kiss on the neck. "Good morning handsome." She calls me handsome, my angel, my Ginelle. She has long brown hair, and such soft eyes, she always feels so small even though she's only a few inches shorter than me. "So what are the plans today?" she asks me with that slight yawn that lets me know she's getting up. " Well, we've gotta go downtown to pick up that amp my brother got for me, but after that I was thinking maybe we come home and relax for a little bit." "Sounds good, I'm gonna take a shower." She moved in a few months ago and I've never been happier, the only soul on earth I want to be with.

8:15 AM

"_ there's no word yet on how many injured, reports indicate that the accident started when an unidentified male walked into oncoming traffic. Alright we're going live now to Diane at the scene……………… it appears we are having some technical difficulties." _**CLICK**. " Hey what you turn off the TV for." she asks me looking up into my eyes. " How else can I serve you breakfast than at our table." She gasps as we walk out into the living room, I've got roses set in a vase on the table and a small black velvet box sitting underneath her napkin. " I made a full spread pancake, eggs, sausage, bacon, bacon and fried potatoes." As she sits down she notices the napkin, as she reaches for it I move over to her side and get down on one knee. " Oh my god," she looks at me with a huge smile on her face. "Will you marry me?" " Yes." I am so happy I don't know what else to do, she kisses me and for that single moment in time not a thing in the world matters but me and her.

9:30 AM

"God damn traffic" I can't believe it's almost two hours after the morning rush hour and traffic is still moving at a snails pace. " Oh just calm down it's not like we're in a hurry." I know she's right, as I start looking around the inside of the car for my Marlboro 27's. "Hey you got my Zippo?" She looks at me playfully, " Yup, but if you want it you gotta pay the toll." I give her a good long kiss and sneak the lighter out of her hand, I don't even notice that the traffic has moved up about three car lengths. As I light our cigarettes the car behind us lays on his horn. " Hey fuck off man, it's not like it's the end of the world.


	3. why now

CRASH!!!

The car behind us slams into us sending the lit cigarette into my lap. " Oh fuck" I quickly knock the cigarette to the floor board and stomp it out. "What the hell was that?" she echoes my words, if I wasn't still so surprised by the crash I would have laughed. I take a quick look around at the car, everything seems to be in order. " Are you ok" I finally manage to say, she nods." Alright wait here I'm gonna see if anyone is hurt."

As I open the car door a cloud of steam drifts by me. " Oh my god" I barely whisper the words.

The highway looks like a disaster area, an 18-wheeler sits jackknifed at the rear of the cars. The man the car behind us starts yelling at me, begging me to help him out. The car door won't move, the angle he was hit from has bent the doors together. He's starting to panic so I do the only thing I can. " Get away from the window" I yell and he hears me.

BAM!!! I punch the window as hard as I can, it cracks but it doesn't break. "Ow fuck" my hand throbs I hit it again. The glass breaks and I start to pull him out of the car, when he's finally out I look him over. " Looks like you just got a broken nose, how do you feel." Looks up at me holding his nose, " I think I'm alright, thanks."

" No problem now just wait here I going to see if anybody else needs help." Behind his car is a mess of tangled metal and broken glass, I can't see into most of the windows and the ones I can see in I wish I hadn't. It looks like the truck was hauling plumbing pipes or something, but the impact turned them into javelins. I make my way back to the truck, it's sitting on the median but that isn't what shocks me. Underneath the truck I can see the smashed wreckage of other cars, blood and oil mixing together forming a sickening color and smell.

I open the door, the smell of alcohol almost makes me gag. As I climb up I reach inside for something to hold onto, I grab the dash and my hand slips a little. The inside of the truck is covered in blood, the driver is slumped over I can't tell if he's conscious.

" Hey" the sound of Ginelle's voice nearly gives me a heart attack. " Don't look in here, go get the first aid kit from the back of the car" I don't want her to see this. As I reach to feel for a pulse I see where the blood came from.

The driver has a large chunk of flesh missing from his arm, the wound half-hazardly wrapped with an towel. " No pulse, shit" his skin feels cold. I hear a noise outside, like a soft moan. " What the hell is that" I can't quite make out what I see in the broken rear view mirror.

I start to edge back out when all at once the driver lurches at me. I jump back in surprise and the door is still open. I hit my head on the car next to the truck as I land, the whole world seems to go lopsided for a second as the ringing in my ears dies down. I still can't quite focus but now I see what was making that sound, and there's a whole crowd of them.


	4. we run

What I see is , unbelievable. These people, these things are dead but their walking. Moving past the rear of the flat bed is a woman, or at least she was, her arm is gone and what's left of it dangles limply at her side. A man behind her is limping, his leg is missing a huge chunk of flesh, exposing ragged muscle and the bone broken at the calf is jutting through the tattered remains of his blue jeans.

"Hey I got the first aid kit." Ginelle comes running up behind me, " Here we need to get to him no-" I cut her off spinning her around. " Run, don't look back." She struggles but only for a moment, she can see the fear in my eyes. As we start run I take one final look back to see the cab of the truck shake as the driver, or the creature that now resides inside of it struggles furiously to release itself from the binding bond of the seatbelt.

The crowd of things is reaching the first few cars now, I can hear the sound of breaking glass and screams. Oh god the screams, people trapped inside their cars being slowly devoured by those things. The man from the car behind us joins suit as we weave between the cars. Some people look into their mirrors, see what's coming and follow. Others don't, they lean there heads at the window yelling at us telling us to get off the highway.

They don't move fast, these things, these zombies, but they have numbers on their side. Within moments the highway is clogged with them grabbing those unfortunate enough to have remained in their cars. The sound are horrible, but I don't know which is worse the high-pitched screams and cries for help, or the silence that follows. More and more push forward, I look back to see them catching the old and those to weak to gone on any further.

We're both slowing down now, "keep moving it's the only way to stay alive." I barely manage to get the words out between breaths. My lungs are burning, my legs on fire, but we can't stop. Finally I see an off ramp, we make a rush for it, everyone of the people following us jockey and fight for space as we stream down. I see a small strip mall off to the side down a side street. "Come on" I grab Ginelle's hand and we move off to the side, as the crowd of panicked survivors continue running in a blind stampede.

As we make it to the parking lot some of the people follow, tripping over the curb in their rush. I get to the first door, " no lights on, shit it's still locked." We try door after door with much the same result, as we pass by what looks like a subway restaurant I gaze into the glass. The lights are on and the door is unlocked but we don't go in, no this place has large windows and glass doors. We move on others don't, they run inside and slam the door behind them. CLICK. The sound of the lock is as loud as thunder in my ears, " If the back office is locked their as good as dead" Ginelle speaks the words as they echo in my mind.

" I know, come on lets keep moving" we come to the end of the strip but there is another building just beside it. I don't bother to read the sign, the outside speaks volumes to me. The building has two windows both high off the ground with bars on them, the door is made of 2 inch thick glass with bars on either side, and most importantly it has a fence at least six feet high. "Here" I practically shout the words as we run inside, I stop and shut the gate using the chain and lock wrapped around them.

BAM!!! I slam my body into the door sending a dazzling spray of pain up my right shoulder. I jump back and start to do it again as an almost inaudible buzzing goes off. The door opens, POP!!! I hit the tile floor inside hard dislocating my shoulder as I land. As I lay on the ground clutching my shoulder in pain I hear a deep throated raspy laughter as a mans voice calls out "you coulda just knocked ya know."

Ginelle crouches beside me "oh my god, are you ok?" " I'll be fine" I manage to get out between my now painfully clenched teeth. The man walk up in front of us, cocks the long barrel .357 magnum he has in his hand and says " Now I want you two to give me one good reason why I shouldn't blow you away right here."


	5. The store

Thank you for your support, I appreciate all of the advice and praise. I would like to thank those of you who have submitted reviews. **DoubleBananaBabe, Jarhead43, and Yendor87**. For everyone else, please read and review I really appreciate input.

Thank you and now enjoy

11:00 AM

The barrel of the gun was a few inches from my head, but I could feel the cold metal. Like a void drawing all the heat from my body.

" Now which one of you is gonna start talkin'." The mans face was grim and I truly believed his threat. But all at once he started laughing, his rasping voice grating my nerves and reminding me that my shoulder hurt like hell. " I'm just messin' with ya'll, hahaha, Jezz boy I bet that stings somethin fierce. Here" he reaches behind the counter, "this oughta take the edge off what we gotta do now."

I still couldn't believe what was happening but my brain said, _listen to him your shoulder is dislocated and your no use to anyone unless you fix it_. I didn't realize that my silence was unnerving Ginelle, but her grip was getting tighter. " it's alright, we're old friends." With that she struck me hard on my good arm, causing me to start laughing and earning me a couple more hits. " AH!" the last blow lands on my shoulder sending a dazzling spray of pain up my side, shooting like lightning bolts up my neck and causing me to feel quite nauseous.

" Oh I'm sorry, but you did deserve it." She holds me up seeing that I'm about to fall back.

" Ginelle, this is Earl, Earl this is Ginelle." My head is still ringing just a little bit, but at least I could see that she was ok with it. " Earl man I didn't know you moved out of the flea market." He walked over and handed me a bottle of Jack Daniels.

" Yeah well was for the best, I couldn't sell what I wanted to in there anyway." A smirk appeared on his face. " Now you take a couple a good swigs off of that cause this is gonna hurt like hell." He gripped my arm and started to feel around to make sure that there weren't any broken bones.

" Thank god for whiskey." The liquid passed my lips and burned down my throat. " Christ man. How old is this." I looked down at the label and answered my own question. 1957. Shit no wonder, but it helped, I took another quick swig, grabbed the stick that Earl handed me. I bit down, and nodded

POP!!! " Oh fuck, Shit, goddamnit, ugh." I was starting to feel light headed, I didn't even realize that I had stood up and backed into a wall as I slide down and passed out.

Blackness

5:00 PM

" Welcome back sleepy head" Ginelle's eyes looked into mine, " You've been out for almost six hours now" Earl's voice boomed from just over my shoulder. I started to gain my bearings as I sat up, my right arm is in a sling. The room I was in was small, almost a cell, the cot was a far cry from a bed but it still called to me telling me to lay back down. But against my better judgment I got up determined to explore my new surroundings.

" Coffees done." Earl called out as a I rounded the small back hall into the heart of the store. " A gun store." I couldn't believe it, we were in the one store that I could ask for.

" Yup, I told you one of these day I'd open one up." Earl was beaming, walking proudly around the interior of his dream I could see that he had put everything into this place. And it just screamed Earl, He had his handmade hunting and survival knives on a wall, I could see more than a few spaces were vacant telling me that he had been busy before all this started.

I walked around, basking in my new found sanctuary. Beretta's, Colt's, Smith & Wesson, and all alone on a display behind the counter a .50AE Desert Eagle (jet black). Various rifles and shotguns lined the walls, but my eyes kept drifting back to it,

" So I see you found it." Earl's voice snapped me back into reality. " You use to rant about that gun every time you came into my shop."

"Yeah" that's all I could get out.

" Hey, when you two are done drooling get over her a take a look at this." Ginelle's voice sounds serious, so I cave and walk over.

_" This is a special report, you will be returned to the regularly scheduled programming……. The is David Barrows, Bernard Shaw is on assignment. We apologize for our earlier coverage of the so-called "Bexar Race Riots". We now know that they are neither racially motivated , nor restricted to the greater Bexar county area…. We now go live to Cynthia Gutierrez at the Baptist Medical Center. Cynthia………. Thank you David, I'm here in the ER here at the Baptist medical center, we are getting reports now that a majority of the injuries sustained are bites, not gunshots or stab wounds as we were lead to believe earlier."_ **CLICK.**

" I don't believe it man, they still haven't figured it out." I feel physically ill, " they are going to get people killed" Ginelle and Earl both nod in agreement.

" Well, guess it what's to be expected. Even back in Nam the government always did have it's head up it's ass." Earl stated quite matter-of-factly, but to be truthful I agreed.

SMASH!!!!

The sound of breaking glass shatters our serenity, Earl runs to the back room flicking on some switches as television screens flicker on. " I have security cameras hooked up to the entire strip, lets see if we can't figure out where that came from." Each of the stores flickered into view, the gym, the paint store, the cigar store, the subway.

No more screens needed to come on, we can see that the glass of the subway is caving in as bloody arms begin reaching in. Earl pans the camera around to see a group of people huddling over in the corner behind the counter. As the glass gives way and the first few zombies begin pouring into the store we her the first screams for help. All they do is rally the undead as more and more stream into the store. The hands reach over the counter and grab a man huddled against it.

Most of the zombies focus on him, grabbing and tearing hunks of clothing and flesh away. The screams grow, high-pitched, without words just screams.


	6. The Child

4:00 AM

There are more of them at the gates, all of them just kind of shuffling for position and pushing against the fence. Looking through the window I can count at least seventy five but it is difficult to say for sure. I see familiar faces, or what's left of them anyway.

The man from the truck, more than a few of the poor souls from the Subway, and standing amongst those closest to the gate, a small boy.

That poor child, his innocence betrayed by the bloody wound below his left eye. I found myself constantly looking back at him, fighting off tears, remembering my younger brother. I can see my brother in this creature.

( 2 years earlier)

" _Is this Anthony Mullenax?"_

" _Yes."_

" _This is the San Antonio police department."_

" _Ok, is there are reason why you're here at 10 pm."_

" _Yes, …… Well there was an accident, involving your mother and younger brother."_

"_Oh………, is everything ok, is something wrong."_

" _No, a semi crossed the median._

" _Oh god, please no, please, please"_

" _They were hit head on, your brother is in critical condition,… your mother didn't make it."_

" _No, no, no, tell me your lying, it's not true, no, no. no."_

" _We're going to take you down to the hospital."_

"……………_.."_

" _Sir?"_

" _Ok. Lets go"_

" _He's in room 215, if you'll please follow the nurse." ( I can't believe it the doctor is just shrugging me off.)_

"_211,213,215 here"_

" _Dakota" There he is, his tiny body hidden underneath the white sheets. IV's and monitoring devices attached. I take hold of his hand, his eyes flutter open._

" _Anthony?"_

" _Yes it's me I'm here, brothers right here." His little fingers tighten around my hand._

" _Where's mommy?"_

" _She's not here right now sweetheart, but don't you worry cause I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere."_

_He starts to talk, but the words don't come out. He starts to shake, his little hand holding tight on to mine._

" _DAKOTA!!, quick somebody get a doctor, Hurry!"_

_But the shaking stops, the lines go flat, and his little hand goes limp._

" _Oh god, No, No, NO YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME, NO TAKE ME PLEASE HE'S ONLY 8 YEARS OLD YOU SON OF BITCH."_

_The doctors rush in, it takes four of them to pull me away._

( Present)

" I didn't leave you, no, not for a second." But there's nobody to hear my words, nobody but me.


End file.
